Portable pumping jack



July 15, 1958 R. BACCHI' ET AL PORTABLE PUMPING JACK 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Feb. 17, 1956 INVEITOgSCH/ PA) A BY THOMAS C. GILLESP/E A T TORNE V S United States Patent 6 PORTABLE PUMPING JACK Ray Bacchi, Daly City, and Thomas C. Gillespie, Huntington'Park, Califl, assignors to Baldwin-Lima-Hamilton Corporation, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application February 17, 1956, Serial No. 566,275

2 Claims. (Cl. 1211) The invention relates to hydraulically actuated pumping jacks especially for deep wells such as oil wells and of the general nature shown in the patent to Ray Bacchi No. 2,702,025, issued February 15, 1955 While hydraulic pumping jacks are normally designed for and installed on our particular well, such as a deep oil well, in some in-.

stances it is helpful to move the jack from one well to another, particularly for purposes of testing the pumping response of the well and for other reasons. Pumping jacks now available do not lend themselves to transportation between wells very readily, particularly when the wells are widely separated and a good deal of hauling must intervene between them, nor to quick installation on and removal from a well.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a pumping jack which is readily portable.

Another object of the invention is to provide a pumping jack which can be hauled by truck or comparable conveyance for relatively long distances without great labor and without much time in setting up or dismantling the pumping jack.

Another object of the invention is to provide a portable pumping jack which operates effectively on a well yet which can be reduced to small compass for ease in transportation.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a portable pumping jack having within it a quick and effective means for making the pumping jack useful on a new well and for quickly and readily facilitating the removal of the jack from an old well.

It is an object of the invention, in general, to provide an improved, portable pumping jack.

Other objects, together with the foregoing, are attained in the embodiment of the invention described in the accompanying description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a plan of a portable pumping jack constructed in accordance with our invention, the jack cylinder being shown in its transport position.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a detail to an enlarged scale, part being in cross section showing the pivot joint of the portable pumping jack with the jack cylinder in erected position.

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the structure shown in Figure 3, other parts being illustrated in cross section on a vertical, diametrical plane.

Figure 5 is a rear elevation of the structure shown in Figures 3 and 4.

Figure 6 is a cross section from below looking up showing part of the fastening structure.

As it is usually constructed in its preferred form, the portable pumping jack of the invention includes a base 6. This is conveniently an elongated or extended framework having a pair of side rails 7 and 8 and a number of cross members, such as 9, at convenient intervals therein except toward one end, which is left open. The base 6 is the support for the structure and is moved up to and removed from a well usually by horizontal sliding or translation. To assist this movement and also to facilitate similar movement when the structure is being loaded onto or removed from a flatbed truck, the frame side rails 7 and 8 are at convenient points provided with anti-friction wheels 10 and 11 each mounted on swing arms 12 and 13 connected by pivots 14 and 16 to the side rails. The swing arms are held either in retracted or projected position by means of adjustable screws 17 and 18. With this construction, the base is readily rolled over almost any kind of a supporting surface, and when lowered is stable.

Adjacent the relatively open end of the base 6 there is provided a superstructure 21. This is made up of a number of legs in substantially pyramidal form ex tending from the side rails 7 and 8 to a mounting plate 22. The configuration of the superstructure 21 is such that the mounting plate 22 is at an effective and appropriate height above a well to be pumped. Secured to the mounting plate 22 are upright brackets 23 and 24 having removable caps 26 and 27' thereon and encompassing parts of a through bore 28 concentric with a horizontal axis 29. The plates and caps form a pair of bearings concentric with the axis 29 and serve as a pivot mounting for a hydraulic jack cylinder 31. This is of the customary hydraulic jack construction except that adjacent one end it merges with a housing 32 having extended trunnions 33 and 34. These are mounted to turn within the bearings defined by the bore 28 so that the entire jack cylinder 31 is rotatable from a horizontal position, shown in Figure 2, into a vertical position, shown in Figures 3, 4 and 5. In the horizontal position, the jack cylinder 31 is not only supported through the trunnions on the superstructure 21 adjacent one end of the base 6 but at its other end is supported on av stand 36 projecting from the base 6 and having a saddle 37 at the upper end in which the jack cylinder rests and in which the jack cylinder is held by a removable strap 38. In its horizontal position, the jack cylinder 31 extends over the base 6 for substantially the entire length thereof.

In order to supply the hydraulic jack 31 and other instrumentalities with actuating fluid under pressure, there is provided on the base 6 a hydraulic fluid supplying mechanism, generally designated 41. This includes most of the customary components, such as a hydraulic pump 42 driven by an internal combustion engine 43 or comparable source of power and supplying liquid to a balance tank 44 augmented with supplementary tanks 46 disposed quite low in the frame to maintain a low center of gravity. The customary valving mechanism 47 is provided.

In order to establish communication between the hydraulic pressure fluid supply structure 41 and the pumping jack 31 in all positions of the jack, the valving structure 47 is connected by a pipe 48 to the stationary member 49 of a pivot joint. The member 49 is in axial alignment with the interior of the body 32 and is held in place in a suitable socket 51 by a retaining ring 52 secured by fastenings 53. A packing gland 54 is interposed in the socket 51 and is tightened by suitable screws 50. With this arrangement, there is free interflow of hydraulic pressure fluid between the interior of the jack cylinder 31 and the pipe 48 in all rotated positions of the jack cylinder. Since this connection is never broken, there is no oil loss and no pressure loss when the pumping jack is transported from one site to another.

The trunnion mounting is conveniently utilized also as a support for a selector valve 56 having a hand controller 57 thereon and communicating through tubes 58 with appropriate zones in the jack cylinder 31 in the customary way. The selector valve 56 also communicates through a fiexible hose 59 and suitable tubing with the valve housing 47 so that the usual cycles of the pumping jack are carried out and can be carried out despite the position of the jack cylinder 31 and without the necessity of breaking any connections whatsoever. Thus, the jack cylinder can be operated horizontally or vertically.

In the usual operation of the device, the base 6 is placed in juxtaposition with a well with the superstructure 21 centered thereover. The clamp 38 is removed and the engine 43 is started, providing there is not already pressure within the balance tank 44 from previous operation. In any event, pressure fluid from the balance tank 44 or one of its associated parts, such as a convenient portion of the valve housing 42 is appropriately tapped by a pipe 61 leading through a four way hand valve 62 to a hydraulic chamber 63. This chamber is mounted on the base 6 and has a piston rod 64 connected by a pivot connection 66 to the exterior of the jack cylinder 31.

When the valve 62 is shifted in one direction, the hydraulic chamber 63 is expanded (since the strap 38 has been removed) and the hydraulic jack cylinder 31 is moved from its horizontal position, as shown in Figure 2, to its vertical position with its polish rod 67 in alignment with the sucker rod of the well and ready for connection thereto.

While the jack cylinder 31 can be maintained in its vertical position by the hydraulic chamber 63, it is preferred to engage fasteners 68 and 69 on the plate 22 with an outstanding slotted flange 71 on the body 32. This affords a mechanically firm interconnection to hold the jack cylinder in its upright position even though the hydraulic chamber 63 may be rendered inoperative. The jack is then placed in operation through the operation of the selector valve handle 57 and proceeds to work in the usual fashion. When it is to be moved to another well, the operation is shut down, the fasteners 68 and 69 are released and the hydraulic chamber 63 is reversed or relieved of its pressure by proper manipulation of the valve 62 so that the entire jack structure is moved at a controlled rate from its vertical position down to its horizontal position. It is again clamped by repositioning of the strap 38 and is ready for movement to the next well.

What is claimed is:

l. A portable pumping jack comprising a base, a superstructure on said base, a mounting plate on said superstructure, said mounting plate having a slot therein, a pivot mounting on said mounting plate, said pivot mounting having a horizontal axis, a jack cylinder supported on said pivot mounting for rotation about said axis between a horizontal position and a vertical position with part of said jack cylinder depending through said slot, means on said mounting plate and engaging said jack cylinder for holding said jack cylinder in said vertical position, means on said base for supplyingv said jack cylinder with hydraulic operating fluid, and means for connecting said supplying means and said jack cylinder through said pivot mounting.

2. A portable pumping jack comprising an elongated base including a pair of side rails and cross members disposed to leave one end of said base open, asuperstructure on said base adjacent said open end thereof including legs upstanding from said side rails, a mounting plate at the top of said legs, said mounting plate having a slot therein open toward said open end, a'pivot mounting on said mounting plate, said pivot mounting having a horizontal axis extending crosswise of said base, a jack cylinder, a polish rod projecting from said jack cylinder, means for supporting said jack cylinder and said polish rod on said pivot mounting for rotation about said axis between a horizontal position and a vertical position with portions of said jack cylinder and said polish rod passing between said legs adjacent said open end and through said slot, means on said base for supplying said jack cylinder with hydraulic operating fluid, and means for connecting said supplying means and said jack cylinder through said pivot mounting.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,088,260 Cochran July 27, 1937 2,502,895 Shaffer Apr. 4, 1950 2,595,307 Selberg May 6, 1952 2,666,417 Harsch Jan. 19, 1954 2,670,717 Armington Mar. 3, 1954 2,703,634 Lee Mar. 8, 1955 

